Research in the Cheer Lab is aimed at elucidating fundamental neural mechanisms underlying motivated behaviors, and how these are modulated by the endogenous cannabinoid system.

The endogenous cannabinoid signaling network is involved in natural physiological processes such as pain perception, thermoregulation and motor coordination. The system is also implicated in maladaptive motivated behaviors such as drug addiction and obesity. Our research seeks to extract neurobiological correlates of certain behaviors, within specifically defined anatomical frameworks, to understand how key neural circuits in the brain function.